The 'Elvis' star says he's grateful to have had some time with Lisa Marie before her death.
Austin Butler chokes up over the death of Lisa Marie Presley in an exclusive preview of his Sunday TODAY interview, saying he feels "endlessly privileged" to have been a part of her story.
"I remember the moment they were first going to watch the film," Butler tells Sunday TODAY host Willie Geist in the clip, speaking about the Presley family's first screening of Elvis. "I'd never been more nervous for anybody to see anything I'd ever done, because they'd never seen anything, they didn't even read the script at that point, and they were very nervous."
Butler adds that he knew the Presley family's opinion "could go either way," but that Priscilla Presley sent director Baz Luhrmann an email congratulating Butler for his portrayal of her ex-husband.
"I just burst into tears, 'cause it was, I felt so much responsibility for them, for their family and for Elvis' legacy," he says.
Butler didn't meet Lisa Marie, Elvis' daughter, until later, when the team screened the film at Graceland. "When I locked eyes on her, it's really a surreal thing," he says. "I'd been playing her dad for such a long time, and doing my best to make it as true for me as possible -- the relationship, you know, of feeling the love for her through her father."
Butler added that the distinct context of their meeting made for a quick connection. "Because the film resonated for her in that way, now...we're standing in front of each other and we're looking into each other's eyes and I felt so much love for her through him in that whole process. I've never felt closer to someone quicker than I felt with her."
Lisa Marie died on Jan. 12 after going into full cardiac arrest at her home in Calabasas, California. She was 54.
Butler tells Geist he's grateful to have had some time with her prior to her death, tearing up as he recounts their special relationship. "She was just the most incredible woman I'd ever met, and just so incredibly honest and loving. Just to finally be able to give her a hug and then to spend all those moments with her, it's really, really sad right now," he says.
As Elvis continues its press in the lead-up to next month's Academy Awards, Butler says life is "very bittersweet right now. I just wish that she was here to celebrate with us." The film is nominated for eight Oscars, including Best Actor for Butler and Best Picture.
"I'm so grateful that everybody's received the story in the way that they have, to get recognition for their family," Butler adds. "I know it weighed on her a lot how misunderstood he was, so to be a part of that, I just feel so endlessly privileged."
The full interview will air on NBC News' Sunday TODAY With Willie Geist on Sunday, Feb. 19. Geist also has upcoming interviews with Oscar nominees Brendan Fraser and Michelle Yeoh.
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